Socrates Seoul 2022
Held in partnership with Google, the Socrates Seoul Seminar will take place from September 16-19, 2022. Socrates international seminars include three seminar sessions, program meals, and local excursions/tours.
Everything Old is New Again: Digital Assets and Decentralized Finance
This Socrates seminar will examine the fundamental principles and concepts behind digital assets like cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), with particular focus on the key strengths and weaknesses of digital currencies and assets versus tradition, physical currencies and assets. Through interactive materials and discussions, participants will examine the basic properties and intentions behind the creation of digital currencies like Bitcoin, including digital currencies philosophical roots in libertarianism and the “Cypherpunk” movement, the key innovations of popular cryptocurrencies and NFTs, and the opportunities and challenges of building decentralized financial applications and managing a decentralized financial system. Recent events involving crypto-lending firms like Celsius Network (liquidity concerns) and Voyager Digital (Chapter 11 bankruptcy) will serve as case studies to illustrate the complexities of transactions involving digital assets. Ultimately, participants will decide whether digital assets and decentralized financial applications represent a complementary and beneficial addition to the global financial market, or are more fairly characterized as speculative, niche products.
David Graff is Vice President, Global Policy & Standards, Trust & Safety, Google, LLC.
